A Special Birthday
by Mcxynth
Summary: COMPLETE - He wanted to make her birthday special and one-of-a-kind. One-shot. StiCy. Lucy's Birthday special! Rated T for safety.


**A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY**

_**Summary: He wanted to make her birthday special and one-of-a-kind.**__**  
**__**Rated T for Safety  
Genre: Romance, Humor, teensy-weensy-bit of Drama (as in REALLY teensy-weensy)**_

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima-sensei does.

My very first one-shot is dedicated to two people. . . . . . .

**Lucy Heartfilia**~!: *claps and cheers* ^_^ Happy birthday~!

And **whynotwhynot**~!: For being my 50th 'Fate' reviewer~! ^_^. Congrats~! Hope you'll like this gift~!

There would be a lot of time-skips and jumping from POVs, so I'm sorry if it got confusing T^T

Let's get on with the story, shall we? :D English is just my second language~! I apologize early for the mistakes I made.

LEGEND:  
_Italics = _Flashbacks/Thoughts/Date&Time/Location_  
_**"Bold w/ quotations" **= Memorable Quotes

* * *

"**Your birthday is a special time to celebrate the gift of 'you' to the world." - Anonymous**

* * *

_Honeybone Inn, Crocus, Fiore  
6:32 AM, July 1, X792_

The sun shone through the windows and curtains of Team Fairy Tail A's room. Stretching her sleepy limbs, Lucy Heartfilia sat up and looked out the window to the wakening Crocus. The early risers scurried to and fro, preparing for the day's business.

Lucy cupped her mouth and let out a yawn. "Today's the day, huh?" she muttered, smiling happily. She turned her head to face her teammate, Wendy, who was still fast asleep on her own bed. The rest of her team were probably downstairs. She giggled to herself and quietly crept out of the bed. She changed to a simple tank top and shorts and left her room.

Tiptoeing down the wooden stairs of the Honeybone Inn, she laughed as she saw the chaos in the hall. Most of the chairs were strewn about and the tables were upside down. The mages of the Fairy Tail guild were either unconscious or fast asleep on the floor, on the table, or on a chair.

Maneuvering her way through the drunken bodies, she made it to the door. Slowly, she opened it, so as not to wake her guildmates. She took a step out and breathed in the fresh morning breeze.

Lucy walked through the soon-to-be busy streets of Crocus, admiring the flowers here and there. After a bit of walking, she came across fellow guildmates.

"Macao, Wakaba, Kinana, Gildarts! What are you all doing out here?" she questioned, smiling as she eyed the four.

"Well, we woke up a little earlier than the others, so we decided to walk around to relieve our hangovers," Macao replied.

"And plus, I'm still quite tired from the preliminary round last night," Gildarts followed, yawning.

Lucy made a face. "But you didn't even _try_ last night. You and Team B passed the round like a breeze," she argued and Fairy Tail's Ace chuckled.

"How about you, Lucy?" Wakaba asked.

Said girl beamed. "I just wanted to take a refreshing morning walk. That's all," she happily replied.

"Is there an event or something-kina?" Kinana inquired.

Lucy chuckled hesitantly. "W-well..." she stammered and chuckled nervously. "N-no.. Hehe..."

For a quick second, the four exchanged glances. Fortunately, Lucy was oblivious to the exchange. She half-turned to her left and waved to her comrades. "Well then, see you around!"

When she had disappeared amidst the slowly growing crowd, the remaining mages looked at each other and sighed.

"That was a close one," Wakaba exhaled.

"Yeah... I wouldn't want to know what Erza would do if Lucy found out what we were planning," Macao commented.

"I sure don't want to be on the recieving end of her sword..."

"Well, we have to get going and start looking for the rest of the decorations-kina," Kinana invited as she held up a long list.

Gildarts nodded. "She's right. Let's go," he said and walked the opposite direction Lucy went, with the others tailing behind him.

* * *

_With Lucy..._

Lucy hung her head lower as she walked through the streets of Crocus.

_"Is there an event or something-kina?"_

Lucy sighed heavily. "They don't remember my birthday, huh?" she muttered bitterly before forcing out a smile. "It's alright. I'll manage this day somehow. Besides, I'm sure _they _know and remember my birthday." She rounded a corner and held her head up higher, regaining confidence.

"Yeah! Besides, I don't really think Macao and the other three can remember my birthday. I don't talk to them as usually as I talk to Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Wendy," she assured herself. She held her hands up in a guts pose. "I could do this!" she exclaimed. As a result, many people nearby stared at her in surprise and confusion. Embarassed, Lucy rubbed her nape and chuckled awkwardly. "Err...Sorry..."

As the people went back to their own business, she sighed and put her hand down. She glanced up at the sky. _It's still quite early... I guess I'll just walk around for a bit more..._

* * *

_Meanwhile in Honeybone..._

Natsu opened an eye and suddenly sat up. He looked around, all the while sniffing the air. At the same time, Gajeel and Wendy followed suit.

After some time, they simultaneously heaved out a sigh. "The coast is clear, guys!" Natsu called out and one by one, the Fairy Tail mages in the hall sat up.

"It was a miracle that she didn't notice we were just faking," Levy commented.

"What matters is that she's gone for now," Erza said as she stood up. "Now let's continue the preparations. Remember, today's the first day of the GMGs. We haven't got all day."

"Father and the others better do their jobs well," Cana remarked. "He, along with Laki's group, should be able to keep her busy until the Games start."

"They'll do fine," Gray assured. "At least, I hope."

"That doesn't help at all, Gray-sama," said Juvia.

"ALRIGHT!" Master's voice boomed across the hall. "Let's get to work!"

"YEAH~!"

* * *

_9:40 AM, First Day July 1, X792  
Challenge Event_

Lucy stretched her limbs then rested her arms on the railing. With a groan, she muttered, "I'm so boooooored!" _And disappointed, _she added in her thoughts.

Beside her, Gray raised an eyebrow. "You're starting to act like flame brain, you know," he said while pointing to his rival beside him, who had the same bored pose Lucy had while Erza was telling him to help her cheer for Wendy.

Lucy sweatdropped and chuckled. _So far, no one has greeted me happy birthday, yet, _she thought bitterly. It really surprised her when she came back to the inn and everything was wrapped in white sheets. When she asked, nearly everyone told her that they ordered new and sturdy furniture (which made sense) while the rest simply ignored her. It pained her deeply that _no one _cared for her birthday. She has been in Fairy Tail for more or less two years (excluding the time skip) and still, no one knew?

And what pained her more was that even _that guy _didn't go to her and greet her a happy birthday. _That guy _being Sting Eucliffe, her boyfriend. They have been going out for months. He should know her bithday more than anyone!

In the corner of her vision, Lucy snuck a glance at the Sabertooth corner. She watched as Sting bickered with Lector and Orga, laughing loudly at Rogue (who was participating in the event). She swallowed, stopping herself from crying. _Pathetic_, she told herself. _Acting like this just because everyone forgot your birthday? Stop acting so weak!_

She stood up abruptly, suprising Gray. "Where are you going?" Gray asked.

"I'm just going to walk around for a bit," she replied as she turned towards the balcony's exit, leaving her team behind.

Gray turned and faced Erza. "I don't think I could stand seeing her like this, Erza. Are you sure it's okay?" he inquired. "I think she's deeply hurt that everyone's 'forgetting her birthday'."

"I know how you feel, Gray, but everyone decided that it would be better to be a surprise. And I'm sure she'll love our gift," the Titania replied.

"Besides, it's for her sake. Knowing Lucy, I'm sure she'll forget about everything by the time we show her our _gift_," Natsu followed. "And I think Sting's working on his own gift, too."

Gray didn't say anything, but sighed inwardly and dragged his eyes to the arena. _I just hope she'll be alright_...

* * *

_6:18 PM, First Day July 1, X792  
After the day's events_

"Finally! That last fight was exciting!" Natsu exhaled as he stretched his arms. He and his team were currently on their way to their inn. "Ichiya actually did a good job on Bacchus. Too bad it was Quatro's win, though."

"You actually enjoyed that fight?" Gray exclaimed. "It was _digusting_!" Beside him, Erza cringed just by thinking of the last fight. Wendy giggled at their antics. However, Lucy had her head hung low.

"Lucy-san? What's wrong?" Wendy asked when Lucy stopped walking just as they were about to step into their inn.

Lucy forced a smile and looked down at the girl. "It's nothing," she lied. "You guys can go ahead. I don't feel so good lately, so I'll walk around for a bit..."

"Are you sure? You also left to walk around this morning," Gray said. "You should stay here and rest if you don't feel well."

"No, no, it's okay. I'd rather have some fresh air," Lucy insisted. To avoid talking more to her team, she turned around and waved. "I'll be back soon!" she announced as she ran into the crowds of Crocus.

The remaining members of Team Natsu looked at each other. Natsu heaved out a sigh. "Guess we'll have to wait, huh?"

* * *

_6:30 PM, Crocus Garden_

"Shouldn't you get going now, Sting?" Rogue Cheney asked his blonde partner as they stood outside of their inn, in the shadows of the few trees. Sting Eucliffe faced his raven-haired partner. "Nah, it's okay. Just wait for a little longer."

Rogue sighed inaudibly. "Just make sure you won't hurt her."

"It would be alright! _Me_? Hurt her? Come on, Rogue. You know I wouldn't do that."

"Fine. Suit yourself." And with that, Rogue turned on his heels and left.

Sting stared at the retreating back of his partner before sighing and shrugging. He looked up at the dark orange skies. _Are those fairies doing their part? ...Just wait a bit longer, Lucy..._

* * *

_8:12 PM, Somewhere in Crocus_

Lucy stared at her reflection on the blue waters below the bridge. Sighing, she thought of her _family_. How could they have forgotten her birthday? She lifted her head and gazed at the silver moon.

_"Levy-chan! What are all these white sheets for?" Lucy called out to her bookworm best-friend._

_"Ah... We ordered some new sturdier furniture, so... yeah," the petite girl replied, chuckling._

_Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Oh, okay..."_

She had to admit, she was disappointed. She actually felt a bit ecstatic when she saw those white sheets. She thought that there was a surprise under those sheets, and planned to get it out of her closest friends. Sadly, it turned out she was wrong.

_Lucy, along with the rest of Team Natsu, walked out the inn heading for Domus Flau. Suddenly, she stopped walking. "Ne, don't you think we're forgetting something?" she asked her closest friends._

_They glanced at each other before facing back at her. "Well...no," Erza replied to her question. "Why? Did you forget anything? I could come with you to check it out."_

_Lucy inwardly winced at the thought that her friends seemed to have forgotten _something. Do you know today's my birthday? _was what she wanted to say. But instead, she said, "Ah-nevermind. It's okay. Let's just go ahead." She forced out a smile, which seemed to fool her friends as they continued on their way to the stadium. _

At that moment, she felt like throwing a childish tantrum. However, doing so would just make her seem as a spoilt and selfish brat. And she isn't that kind of girl (although sometimes she would seem like it).

A tear made its way down her cheeks and plopped on the water, creating ripples and disrupting Lucy's reflection. She raised a hand and wiped another tear that threatened to follow its predecessor.

It hurt.

The small feeling she had this morning that "today's gonna be a great day" turned out to be false. Her best friends forgot her birthday. Nothing else could hurt more than that on this special day.

Well, except for one other thing. _Sting... _she thought to herself. Her boyfriend. Her very own boyfriend whom she have been dating for months has forgotten her own birthday. Plus, he never even glanced her way and winked at her (which was _very _unlike him).

_Something seems wrong, _she mused. _Why is he acting like that? Is he... _Lucy gasped. _Is he going to break up with me? _The very thought of that made her knees buckle. _On my birthday? _she added. As more tears made a trail down her pale face, she covered her face and tried desperately to wipe the tears. Crying on your own birthday? That wasn't a good sign.

Hiccuping and sniffing, she managed to calm down a tad bit. Slowly, she glanced at the gigantic clock near the middle of the city. _9:00. I should get going by now. They might start worrying about me, _she decided as she wiped her tears and made her way to Honeybone Inn.

_I'll think about Sting later. For now, I have to at least talk with my best friends..._

* * *

_9:15 PM, Honeybone Inn_

As the doors to the Inn Fairy Tail was residing at opened, the mages inside jumped out of their hiding places and shouted a merry "Happy birthday, Lucy~!"

Said birthday girl stood rooted to the ground, frozen with her mouth agape and eyes widened. "W-what?" she managed to let out.

Team Natsu stepped forward wearing happy smiles on their faces, with Natsu's being a huge grin. "We wanted to surprise you, Luce, so we decided on a party tonight. We thought it would be best to surprise you, so... We're sorry if we made you upset," he explained. The look he gave Lucy made most of her worries melt away and she wondered if he still smelt the scent of fresh tears even when she made sure it was gone.

Fresh new tears filled up the girl's eyes and she lifted up her hands to cover her mouth, muffling the sniffing sounds that were making its way out her throat. "E-e-everyone..." she croaked.

Team Natsu stepped forward once again and enveloped her in a warm embrace. The rest followed suit and it was not long before their soft gesture removed Lucy's control and she broke down into sobs.

"T-thank you, e-everyone! I-I thought t-that... you f-forgot my b-birthday," she sniffed. Erza gave her a warm smile as she tightened her grip on the Celestial Mage (almost making her choke).

"How can we forget your birthday, Lucy?" she said. Lucy opened her mouth to reply a simple 'thank you' but was interrupted by a loud, booming voice.

"ALRIGHT, BRATS! LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED! DRINK AND MAKE MERRY!" their joyful master announced, already halfway through his third mug of booze.

The room was filled with cheers and laughter as everyone indulged themselves into the delicious food and drinks (courtesy of Mira, Lisanna, and Kinana) and gave their individual birthday greetings and gifts to the celebrant.

"Here, Lu-chan." Levy brought out a neatly-wrapped, rectangular-shaped box. "I'm sorry if I made you upset with how I acted today..."

Lucy beamed at her and gave her a friendly bear hug. "It's okay, Levy-chan. At least, now I know that you guys would always be my family."

Levy smiled and pulled out of the hug. "How about we open the rest of the gifts?" she invited.

"Sure!" Lucy agreed as she brought out the rest of the gifts she had so far received.

* * *

_10:52, Inside Team Fairy Tail A's room, Honeybone Inn_

"I'll go on ahead! Thank you again, everyone!"

Lucy closed the door to the room with her hips. Slowly, with her hands and arms full, she made her way to her bed and set her gifts down.

"An ice charm from Gray, a pink scarf from Natsu, a fish pendant from Happy, a cake shop coupon from Erza, herbal tea from Wendy, a new book from Levy..." One-by-one, she checked her gifts. Once done, she satisfiedly put all of them down on the floor next to her bed. She stood up and looked for the light switch. Once she had found it, she pressed the switch. However, no lights turned on. Confused, she tried again, turning it off then on again. Off. On. Off. On.

Defeated, she slumped her shoulders and trudged her way to her bed. She took out a change of clothes from her suitcase. Even though she didn't want to, her mind drifted to her boyfriend. What was he doing now? Is he even thinking about her? Her birthday?

Shaking her head, she stopped herself from thinking negative thoughts and laid down on her bed. She pondered over how she should talk to her boyfriend the next day, why he was acting that way, and many other things...

And soon fell asleep.

* * *

_11:45 PM, Same Location_

_Shuffle, shuffle..._

Lucy woke up to the sounds of feet shuffling in the dark and faint sounds of tiptoeing. She groggily opened her eyes, sat up, and looked around, only to see pitch black darkness. No one was in her room, and she concluded that they were either still partying hard or already unconscious. She decided it was the latter after hearing no noise coming from downstairs.

_Shuffle... tap..._

There it was again. The sound. Lucy felt a chill run up and down her spine and she set her foot down on the cold, wooden floor. As her eyes adjusted to the blackness, she hastily looked around, looking for signs of any intruder. She stood up and crept slowly on the floor. She checked every corner of the room, only to get zero results.

Standing up from her crouched position near a bed, she sighed. _I guess it was just me getting paranoid, _she said to herself. "I need to get some sleep," she said to no one in particular. Or at least she thought.

"I don't think so."

Lucy whipped her head at the source of the sound, and her eyes widened at the sight she saw.

Stingstood by the window of the room, his silhouette being highlighted by the dim moonlight. He took a step forward, on his face a soft smile.

Lucy took a step backward, and stammered, "W-what are you doing here?"

Sting stopped in his tracks and eyed her weirdly. "What do you mean? I can't be here?"

The girl's vision became foggy as small tears made its way out of her eyes. "This is all a dream, right? You wouldn't come here. After all, you've forgotten my birthday."

Sting's eyes softened. "This isn't a dream, Luce. I'm right here. And I haven't forgotten your bir-"

"Then you're here to break up with me?" Lucy interrupted, her voice becoming hoarse.

"What? No, why would I-"

"Then why haven't you talked to me all day?!" Lucy winced at how she sounded. She opened her mouth to explain but was interrupted by a warm embrace coming from the other blonde.

"Sssh... Let me explain." His calm voice and breath tickled Lucy's ears and she almost melted into his touch. If it wasn't for her small resentment for his actions, she swore she could have just fallen asleep in his embrace.

"Explain?"

_11:58:02_

_Tick_

Her ears caught a soft ticking sound and almost instantly bright lights filled her vision. She squinted at the sudden brightness, and once her vision returned, she gasped. The room was filled with colorful and bright yellow and blue candle lightings, and sparkling effects filled the whole room.

Sting held Lucy's hands in his own and looked straight into her eyes. "This is my gift to you, Luce."

Lucy felt comfortable in his gaze, but her stubbornness got the better of her in this situation. "But why now? Why not earlier this day? You could have been the first person to greet me 'happy birthday'!"

_11:58:42_

Sting raised a hand and wiped a stray tear in her eyes. "Being the first person to greet you happy birthday doesn't seem so romantic to me. Plus, it's already quite common nowadays," he started. He grinned at Lucy's bewildered expression.

_11:59:03_

"To make things unique and special, I want to be the last person to greet you happy birthday... " he trailed off as a soft blush tinted his cheeks.

Her childish anger and frustration long forgotten, Lucy giggled at the sight.

_11:59:19_

"... So, Happy Birthday, Luce."

Overjoyed, Lucy hugged her loved one, almost crushing him. In between giggles, she managed to mutter, "Thank you... Thank you, Sting..."

_11:59:32_

Sting smiled and cupped his girlfriend's cheek. "I love you, Luce. Remember that."

Lucy nodded and beamed. "I love you, too. Sting."

_11:59:40_

The couple leaned closer and closer, until their lips touched and they each melted into the other.

_11:59:49_

They both pulled away, foreheads touching each other. Both of them stared at the other's eyes, trapped in those bright orbs.

_11:59:51_

"This is the best birthday ever," Lucy giggled.

Sting grinned cheekily. "Of course. It's from me, after all."

Lucy laughed and playfully punched her boyfriend's chest. "You're such an arrogant bastard."

"Ouch, that hurt."

Lucy laughed again and they leaned in again for another kiss.

_11:59:58_

_Thank you. I love you so much._

~ Fin ~

* * *

**"The manner of giving is worth more than the gift." - Pierre Cornielle**

* * *

**(A/N) **

Soooooooo... how was it!? Was it good!? Tell me, tell me! XD Onegai~! And in case you guys anticipated it, I'm sorry for the lack of StiCy moments... -_-

But was the story good? Please tell me what you think! :D

To **whynotwhynot: **_**So was it to your liking? :D I had this story in my mind for quite a long time, now... I've only thought of writing it down right now. Please tell me what you think in a review ^_^**_

**- ~ (^.-) ~ -**

Any comments? Questions? Violent reactions? PM me or leave it in your review. :D ...Wait. Please forget the violent reactions...

Oh, and I'll really appreciate it if you guys would leave a review ^_^ I accept constructive criticism. Just NO rude comments.

Ciaossu~ 'Till my next installment~!

- Xan-san :3


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